State RegulationsOH specificDifficulty 2/5
A Cincinnati resident who has owned a Medicare supplement policy for 8 months is offered a replacement policy by a different issuer. The applicant has a documented history of high blood pressure. What restriction applies to the replacing issuer regarding that condition?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why C is correct
Under OAC 3901-8-08(M)(13)(2), when a Medicare supplement policy replaces one that has been in effect for at least 6 months, the new policy may not impose any new preexisting-condition, waiting, elimination, or probationary periods. Because the replaced policy has been in force 8 months, the applicant's high blood pressure must be covered without a new waiting period. This prevents issuers from using replacements to reset exclusion clocks on Ohio seniors.
Why the other options are wrong
- A) A new 6-month preexisting-condition waiting period is exactly what the replacement rule bars once the replaced policy has been in effect at least 6 months.
- B) Prior treatment of the condition is irrelevant; the protection turns on how long the replaced policy was in effect, not on treatment history.
- D) Disclosure in the outline of coverage cannot cure an otherwise prohibited new elimination period; the rule prohibits the period outright.
Memory hook
Replace after 6 months in force = no new waiting clocks allowed.